Fish curry cooked in red chilli, spices and well flavored with cocum. It is the typical Kottayam style fish curry. Served with rice or kappa (tapioca/yuca). Tastes better after a day.
Soak cocum (kudampuli) in 4 tbsps of luke warm water for 15 - 20 minutes.
Clean fish pieces well. To avoid the raw smell of fish, I prefer cleaning it with salt and All purpose flour. Chop small onion. Grind ginger and garlic into a paste.
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds. Wait till fenugreek seeds starts to change into a deeper color.
Add chopped small onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat till it turn brown.
Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir to combine with the oil and saute well for couple of minutes. ** This is a very spicy curry. So adjust chilli powder according to your spice tolerance level.
Add water in which cocum (kudampuli) was soaked to the above mixture.
Add 1 cup water and enough salt to the mixture. Taste the mixture and if required, add 1 or 2 kudampuli (previously soaked) to it.
Bring this to boil and then add cleaned fish pieces. Make sure that fish pieces are immersed in the gravy.
Cook it on low flame. It will take around 20 -25 minutes to get the fish cooked and gravy to get lightly thick.
After it is cooked, add coconut oil over the fish curry to add a wonderful aroma. Garnish with fresh curry leaves